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UK tour of Rain Man extends with new cast

AFTER a successful first year, Rain Man, the inaugural production of Bill Kenwright’s Classic Screen to Stage Theatre Company, has extended its run into 2019 with a new star cast.

Paul Nicholls will play Raymond Babbit, with Chris Fountain as Charlie Babbitt.

Paul Nicholls became a household name when he joined EastEnders, playing the troubled Joe Wicks from 1996 until 1997. He has also appeared in acclaimed dramas such as Channel 4’s Ackley Bridge, The C Word for the BBC and ITV’s Law and Order. His film work includes Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, If Only and The Trench.

Chris Fountain won Best Actor in the 2008 British Soap Awards for his portrayal of Justin Burton in Hollyoaks. He played Tommy Duckworth for two years in Coronation Street and has also starred in Dancing On Ice and most recently the ITV drama, Girlfriends. In 2016, he made his stage debut as Guy in the award-winning production of The Full Monty (UK Tour).

Inspired by the heart-warming Oscar-winning film, which famously starred Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman and won Oscar’s for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Actor, Rain Man is the story of two brothers.

When self-centered salesman Charlie Babbitt discovers that his long-lost brother Raymond, an autistic savant with a genius for numbers, has inherited the family fortune; he sets out to get ‘his half’.

Charlie ‘borrows’ Raymond from the institution where he has spent most of his life and the two brothers embark on a trip across America where Charlie soon discovers that Raymond is worth more than he could have ever imagined…

The 2019 run will open at Theatre Royal Bath on January 14, 2019 and then continue to Woking, Barnstaple, Malvern, Crawley, Darlington, Clwyd, Southampton, Manchester, High Wycombe, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Newcastle and Weston-Super-Mare.

Rain Man is currently playing at Richmond Theatre (until November 10, 2018).